Dining Out

11 Canadian Spots to Enjoy Afternoon Tea With Mom

Posted by Leslie Wu on April 25, 2017

From the most traditional of high teas to quirky takes on new classics, tearooms across Canada are perfect places to spend a leisurely afternoon, or take Mom for a Mother's Day treat. Try a whisky flight, locally sourced nibbles, or consult with a tea sommelier, and let your cares dissolve in a steaming cup of tempting tea.

Hotel Saskatchewan

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Hotel Saskatchewan (Regina, SK)

<p>There's more than a tiny tipple at this afternoon tea spot. At <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotelwebsites/us/y/yqrak/yqrak_pdf/Ladies___Gentlemen_Tea_Updated_(1).pdf" target="_blank">Hotel Saskatchewan's</a>, the Ladies and Gentlemen Tea offers flights of American or Canadian whisky alongside charcuterie plates and scones spiked with jalapeño. Instead of cucumber sandwiches, guests have the choice of open-faced mini Reubens, sausage rolls and pulled chicken on focaccia.</p>

Kitten and The Bear

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Kitten and The Bear (Toronto, ON)

<p>Luscious jams made using traditional French copper confiture pans are the star of the Jam and Tea Service menu at the tiny, two-table <a href="https://www.kittenandthebear.com/" target="_blank">Kitten and The Bear</a>. Preserves such as the blackberry, plum and violet option use local fruit wherever possible, and scones are made with buttermilk from Hewitts Dairy in Hagersville, Ontario.</p>

Tea Party Cafe

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The Tea Party Cafe (Ottawa, ON)

<p>Go down the rabbit hole at Ottawa institution <a href="http://www.theteapartycafe.com/ottawacafes/bistro-menu/afternoon-tea-menus/" target="_blank">The Tea Party Cafe</a>, where an <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> theme dances across chalk art on the walls. Have your own mad tea party with a cup of Who’s Alice or Hatter’s Blend, and opt for Alice, or the Queen of Heart’s afternoon tea, cream tea or vegetarian and vegan options.</p>

Fairmont Hotel Macdonald

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Fairmont Hotel Macdonald (Edmonton, AB)

<p>Take a tour with the <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/macdonald-edmonton/" target="_blank">Fairmont Hotel Macdonald’s</a> onsite tea sommelier, who will show you where Queen Elizabeth II rested her head when she visited Canada. Afternoon tea starts with an amuse bouche of peach rosemary sorbet with port pearls in the Harvest Room overlooking the North Saskatchewan River Valley.</p>

Jennifer Houghton

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Langdon Hall (Cambridge, ON)

<p>At <a href="http://www.langdonhall.ca/afternoon-tea/" target="_blank">Langdon Hall's</a> hyperlocal afternoon tea, pastry chef Rachel Nicholson gets her inspiration by looking out the window: ingredients come from the on-site garden or foraged from the property where possible. Diners can break into forest mushroom Yorkshire pudding in the century-old manor house, paired with TWG Teas.</p>

Neverland Tea Salon

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Neverland Tea Salon (Vancouver, BC)

<p>Hedonism is the name of the game at <a href="http://neverlandtea.com/" target="_blank">Neverland Tea Salon</a>, where bottomless cups of tea allow guests to try over 70 varieties and tipsy tea flights court cocktail lovers. Multi-course high teas include towers with vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy options, and executive chef Victoria Reichert's upscale takes on the traditional, such as free-range chicken salad with pickled red grapes, candied walnuts, tarragon and salt-roasted pear.</p>

Le Parloir

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Le Parloir (Montreal, QC)

<p>Macarons are on the menu at <a href="http://leparloir.ca/" target="_blank">Le Parloir</a>, where Sylvie Marchand will serve you house-made scones along with decadent options such as foie gras or duck confit toast. Vegans, fear not: you can reserve an afternoon tea option that's completely animal-free.</p>

Mademoiselle Clifford’s

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Mademoiselle Clifford's (Hudson, QC)

<p>The first thing visitors see when they enter <a href="http://mademoiselleclifford.com/" target="_blank">Mademoiselle Clifford’s Floral Emporium and British Tea Shop</a> — a bit of Britain nestled in Hudson, just outside of Montreal — are the two walls with cups of all shapes and sizes. After making your tea selection, you can also choose which cup to sip from — each china cup was donated by friends, family and clients of the tea room.</p>

The Dove’s Nest

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The Dove’s Nest (Calgary, AB)

<p>You’ll be sure to get a chair at <a href="https://www.thedovesnest.ca/" target="_blank">The Dove’s Nest</a> in Calgary — Gale and Dan Tesarski expanded in 2009 to a 100-seat space to better serve their guests. There’s over 100 teas available, too: from the Prince of Wales, which floats almond slices in each cup, to pretty Flower Burst tea balls. Children get their own tray with a Victorian Elegance tart, and peanut butter and jelly if they desire.</p>

Fairmont Empress

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Fairmont Empress Hotel (Victoria, BC)

<p>The grand dame of afternoon tea, <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/empress-victoria/dining/tea-at-the-empress/" target="_blank">the Empress</a> has been serving up over 500,000 proper plates annually for the last 100 years in the Lobby Lounge. These days, the Empress focuses on local producers and a buzzy secret: the honey that sweetens tea or is drizzled on a warm scone came from the hotel’s own bees. </p>

Shadow Lawn Inn

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Shadow Lawn Inn (Rothesay, NB)

<p>A reservation-only afternoon tea at <a href="http://www.shadowlawninn.com/afternoon-tea.html" target="_blank">The Shadow Lawn Inn</a> — named after the abundant hedges and trees casting shade across the manicured grounds — gives diners a taste of history in Rothesay, New Brunswick. Visitors can munch on whipped chèvre, cranberry and roasted walnut open-faced sandwiches at the Inn, which was built in 1870.</p>
<p><em>Leslie Wu is a Toronto-based food and travel writer, editor and explorer. Follow her on Twitter at @leslie_wu.</em></p>